U.S. President-elect Donald Trump shakes hands with former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney after their meeting at the main clubhouse at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, on Nov. 19, 2016.
BEDMINSTER, United States (AP) – President-elect Donald Trump and Mitt Romney met yesterday at the billionaire’s golf club in New Jersey, both emerging with smiles and a public handshake, but no word on what, if any, role the 2012 GOP hopeful might play in the new Administration.
Trump flashed a thumbs-up and said the sit down “went great”. Romney said the two had a “far-reaching conversation with regards to the various theatres in the world where there are interests of the United States of real significance”.
The meeting alone was notable after the crackling rancour between the men all year.
Romney assailed Trump in a stinging speech in March, calling him a “con man” and a “phony”. Trump responded by calling Romney a “loser” who “choked like a dog” during the 2012 election and let President Barack Obama win.
But the two have started to make amends since the election. Romney called Trump to congratulate him after his victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton.
Romney was only one of a parade of officials pouring through Trump’s door as the president-elect tries to fill more members of his Administration. On Friday, Trump picked Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions for attorney general and Kansas Representative Mike Pompeo to head the CIA, signalling a sharp rightward shift in US security policy as he begins to form his Cabinet. Trump also named retired Lt Gen Michael Flynn as his national security adviser.
Hosting the stream of visitors wasn’t Trump’s first public act of the day. First, there was Twitter.
He rushed to the defence of Mike Pence yesterday after Hamilton actor Brandon Victor Dixon challenged the incoming vice-president from the Broadway stage after the show Friday night. “Apologize!” Trump tweeted to the actor. “Our wonderful future VP Mike Pence was harassed last night at the theatre by the cast of Hamilton, cameras blazing. This should not happen!”
Dixon tweeted back: “Conversation is not harassment sir. And I appreciate @Mike-Pence for stopping to listen.”
Trump also bragged on Twitter about agreeing to settle a trio of lawsuits against Trump University, claiming:“The ONLY bad thing about winning the presidency is that I did not have the time to go through a long but winning trial on Trump U. Too bad!”
Trump then turned to meetings, perhaps about posts in his Administration.
Just yesterday, Trump’s schedule included retired Marine Corps General James Mattis, a potential contender to serve as Trump’s defence secretary, as well as Michelle Rhee and Betsy DeVos, two well-known education activists. And today, Trump was due to meet with several people, including New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Trump’s announcement on Friday of Sessions, Pompeo and Flynn formed the first outlines of Trump’s Cabinet and national security teams. Given his lack of governing experience and vague policy proposals during the campaign, his selection of advisers is being scrutinised both in the US and abroad.